MM#91--Why Read History?

Welcome to the theory to action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time to help you take action immediately, and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now, here's your host, David Kaiser.

Hello, I'm David and welcome back to another Mojo minute. Today's Mojo minute will be a little different, but I hope you will like it. So let's take a step back and zoom up to 50,000 feet to see the forest from the trees. And now let's ask ourselves, why should we read books? And furthermore, why should we read history books? Is it just an academic exercise just like in school? Is it just a collection of dates and facts to make a sound smart at a cocktail party or in front of our family and friends? I don't know. So let me submit to you that I believe we should read history to learn from it. And furthermore, we should study history deeply to investigate and reflect on how certain events happened, and to learn from them. So we in the present age don't make the same mistakes ourselves. Now, as a history minor in college, I was fascinated by the Roman Republic. And I could not understand why it fell apart. I would ask repeatedly questions of my professors in college. If the Roman Republic was so great, how in the world did it cease to exist? 

Some of my professors made noble attempts to quickly answer my question, and others pointed me to books to read on the subject. But I never got to the crux of why it fell. during my college years, I never made any headway answering that question. But just a year ago, I finished a book that simplified and clarified all my questions about how the Roman Republic fell. So if you'll indulge me, I think you might just be interested in this question. As much as I was. Let's start with a quote. No period in history has been more thoroughly studied than the fall of the Roman Republic. The name Caesar Pompeii, Cicero, Octavian Mark Antony, Cleopatra. Cleopatra are among the most well known names not just in Roman history, but in human history. Each year were treated to a new book, movie or TV show depicting the lives of this vaunted last generation of the Roman Republic. There are good reasons for their continued predominance. It is a it is a period of alive with fascinating personalities and earth shattering events. And it's especially riveting for those of us in the modern world who, suspecting the fragility of our own Republican institutions, look to the rise of the Caesars, as a cautionary tale. Ben Franklin's famous remark that the Constitutional Convention had produced, quote, a republic, if you can keep it unquote rings all these generations later, as a warning, Bell, unquote. Now this quote comes to us from a brilliant author, Mike Duncan, and he has written a equally brilliant book, titled The storm before the storm. And man, I love this book. Now, you might know Mike, from his more famous the history of Rome podcast, it was one of the most downloaded podcasts on Roman history.

 But back in 2017, he wrote this book, the storm before the storm, and somehow I missed it. He just missed the whole, the whole writing of the book. So shame on me. But let's talk about the elephant in the room. Everybody wants to compare is America, Rome, especially the Roman Republic in its last days? Am I Mike addresses it. So let's go back to the book.
Quote, but this book does not serve simply as a way to fill in a hole in our knowledge of Roman history, while producing the history of Rome, the podcast I mentioned earlier, I was asked the same set of questions over and over again, is America Rome. Is the United States following a similar historical trajectory? If so, where does the US stand On the Roman timeline, and attempting to make a direct comparison between Rome and the United States is always fraught with danger. But that does not mean there is no value. To entertaining the question, it at least behooves us to identify aware in 1000 year history of the Roman Empire, we might find an analogous historical setting. And further investigation into this period reveals a era full of historical echoes that will sound eerily familiar to the modern reader. The final victory over Carthage in the Punic Wars led to a rising economic inequality, dislocation of traditional ways of life, increasing political polarization, the breakdown of unspoken rules of political conduct, the privatization of the military, rampant corruption, endemic social and ethnic prejudice, battles over access to citizenship and voting rights, ongoing military quagmires, the introduction of violence as a political tool and sets of elites so obsessed with their privileges, that they refused to reform the system in time to save it. Unquote. 

Hey, you might say, that's us, that is America in 2022. Without a doubt, for sure, you would be right. That whole list of comprehensive items is what contributed to the downfall of the Roman Republic. And that is happening in America right now. Now, Duncan does caution us in reading history this way. It's not simply a checklist of this happened in the Roman Republic, therefore, this will happen in the American republic. But let's go back to the book for a final quote. Quote, if history has to have an act of meaning, there must be a place for identifying those interwoven elements, studying the reoccurring agencies and learning from those who came before us. But if our own age carries with it, many of those limited number of elements being brought up being brought to pass by the same agencies, then this particular period of Roman history is well worth deep investigation, contemplation and reflection, unquote. So in today's Mojo minute, let me submit as we read and study hit history, we need to also acquire that well needed virtue of humility, while technology ebbs and flows, and ultimately it creates a better life for all of us. Human nature does not human nature is the same now, as it was in 49 BCE, when Caesar crossed the Rubicon defeated all of his enemies, and had himself declared dictator for life. 

And so if our goal is to preserve our way of life in America, and to save the Republic, and live that flourishing life we wish to have than the one sure way to do it is to improve our character, and live virtuous lives. Now, you may think that's an odd answer. But But and one of the most epic paragraphs ever recorded about the final days of the Roman Republic, the great observer in order Reiter Cicero, before he was executed, said this. 

Thus, before our own time, the customs of our ancestors produced excellent men, and eminent men, preserved our ancient customs and the institutions of their forefathers. But though the Republic when it came to us was like a beautiful painting whose colors, however, were already fading with age, our own time, not only has neglected to freshen it, by renewing the original colors, but has not even taken the trouble to preserve its configuration. And so to speak, it's general outlines for what is now left of the ancient customs, on which he said the Republic of Rome was founded firm. They have been, as we see, so completely buried in Oblivion, that not that they are not only no longer practiced, but are already unknown. And what shall I say of the men for the loss of our customs is due to our lack of Man, and for this, this is a great evil we must not only give an account, but must even defend ourselves in every way possible, as if we were accused of a capital crime. For it is through our own faults, not by any accident that we retain only the form of the Republic, but have long since lost its spirit, unquote. And as I said before, Cicero would then be executed. So his words should be even more compelling to us. 

So let's become in Cicero's words, excellent men, and I would add excellent men and women. And in today's Mojo minute to answer that question, Why read history? It is to learn from the past, and by learning from excellent men like Cicero, we can strive to be just that men and women of great character. And in doing so, the American Republic will then ultimately save itself for another generation. And we will be living a flourishing life, a life driven by virtue.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this theory to action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at T Mojo academy.com where we have everything we discussed in this podcast as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on